Ghosts in the Shadows
by reciprocity
Summary: STORY COMPLETE - Sara has to deal with an unexpected threat - which forces her and Grissom to re-evaluate their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

Well, here's my first fic ever, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks to my beta readers; I hope you all like it. Spoilers up to Butterflied, the story starts several weeks after that episode.

If anyone has any comments, suggestions, violent reactions, etc., feel free to e-mail me.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 1 of ??)  
Author: Jonathan  
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me.  
Synopsis: A dangerous stalker mobilizes the whole team to protect one of their own - and forces Grissom and Sara to re-evaluate their current state of affairs.

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It had been a quiet shift for Sara Sidle, and she stifled a yawn as she entered her apartment. There had been a major heavyweight fight at the MGM Grand, and it looked like the crooks of Las Vegas had taken the opportunity to go on holiday. She liked her work, sure, but even she didn't mind having a slow shift. It had given her the chance to deal with the paperwork that was the bane of any CSI.

She went through the pile of accumulated mail. Nothing unusual, she thought, just the normal junk everyone got. Those went straight to the trash. Then she turned her attention to the last piece.

It was not in the usual envelope that was used for bills or day-to-day letters. Instead, it was in the larger envelope one might use to send over paperwork. That was unusual in itself, Sara mused. Then she noticed there was no return address.

_Very interesting_, Sara said to herself, silently. She got herself a letter opener and slit it open, to see what was inside.

Inside, she noticed that there were several sheets of paper. They were not ordinary pieces of paper; they were the glossy kind used for printing out photographs on a home computer. _Who would send me this without any return address_, Sara asked herself. _This is very suspicious_. However, she couldn't – or wouldn't – just set it aside. She slid them out of the envelope and looked at them closely.

She gasped as she saw the first one fully. It was a picture of her at a crime scene with Catherine and Warrick. It had been taken two weeks earlier at a pawnshop that had been the victim of a smash-and-grab gone horribly wrong; now a clerk and the owner were both in the hospital with gunshot wounds. That case had been closed quite quickly; for all its gore and violence, it had been a simple crime.

Her mouth was still agape as she quickly looked over the other pictures. They were more shots of her during the past two weeks as she had worked various scenes. Some of the later photographs, though, were becoming more... personal. One of them showed her as she was picking up some groceries. The last one showed her entering her apartment – two days ago. 

_Uh-oh_, she thought. Everyone on the team remembered all too well what had happened the last time someone had a stalker. Her right hand wandered down to her gun, wondering if it would be needed today.

She pushed that thought out of her mind and forced herself to calmly think. _What do I do now?_ She made a decision quickly enough. She pulled out her cellular phone and called Gil Grissom.

***

Gil Grissom was finishing off the last of the offending paperwork on his desk. It had been a quiet night for the team; even Sara, who had maxed out on overtime for as long as Grissom could remember, had left right as shift ended. Only he and Warrick were left, and they would both be gone soon.

His thoughts were interrupted by the trilling of his phone. He flipped it open, and saw who was calling – Sara. _It's barely thirty minutes since she left, what's going on?_

"Grissom."

"It's Sara. I've got a situation here." Grissom noted her matter-of-fact tone, though he had known her long enough to know there was something else behind it.

"What's the problem?"

"I think I have a stalker."

That definitely caught Grissom's attention. The last time a Las Vegas CSI had a stalker, he had ended up with a gun pointed at his head. Nick had barely gotten out alive. Grissom had no desire to repeat the experience.

_Especially_, a voice at the back of his head said, _with Sara_. He managed to keep his voice level as he answered Sara.

"Is he in your apartment? Are you in dan-"

"No, Just got some strange stuff in my mail."

"Define strange."

"Pictures. It looks like he's been following me around."

"Stay right there. I'll bring Brass over."

"Okay." Sara hung up.

His calm voice managed not to betray his alarm. He leapt out of his chair and sought out Captain Jim Brass – whom he found in his office, ready to go home too. Brass noticed Grissom was clearly agitated as he entered.

"Gil, what's-" Brass didn't have a chance to complete his sentence.

"Sara. She may have a stalker." _And you know what that means, Jim..._

"Are you sure?" _Another one? After Nick?_

"She just called. Stalker sent her pictures, he may have been following Sara around. I told her to stay put."

Just then, though, Warrick knocked on Brass' open door.

"Hey, Grissom, I was just about to head off, but I wanted to give this report-"

"Leave it in my office," said Grissom. "We're pulling some overtime today."

"I thought it was a quiet night, what happened?"

Brass answered. "Sara. Someone's been following her and sent her photos."

"Damn..." _Another one?_ Warrick thought. _Nick already had to deal with that crap, but that was a long time ago._

"Get your kit. You're driving."

_Griss must be in one serious hurry if he's letting me drive..._

***

Meanwhile, Sara was sitting in her apartment, nervous. _I wonder if I'm being watched right now..._

She rose from the couch she had been sitting on and looked around for her flashlight. She knew what to look for; small holes or poorly patched spots. Even then, though, she couldn't be sure that she would see any cameras, if they were there.

_You're just being overly paranoid, Sara..._

She was still looking when the doorbell rang.

She went to answer the door, but not before she glanced at the clock on the wall.

_That was fast. Less than half an hour._

Opening the door, she found Grissom, Brass, and Warrick standing outside. She let them in, and the two arriving CSIs pulled on gloves.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a brief moment. Both Brass and Warrick could feel the tension between the two. _Sometimes they can barely get along, _Warrick quietly mused, _but somehow I think they couldn't live apart. No sirree._ He looked over at Brass, and his look told Warrick that this wasn't much of a surprise. Finally, Grissom broke the silence.

"What happened?"

Sara spoke in the tone she tended to use when things weren't going all that well. "I – I don't know. I was just going through my mail, when I saw that one."

As she spoke, she gestured over to the counter where she had left the envelope before she called Grissom. Warrick walked over to it, field kit in hand. He opened it, pulled out the small digital camera in it, and began taking photos of the rude surprise the stalker had left for Sara.

Grissom bit his lower lip, not quite sure what to say. He went over to Warrick, to look over the photos himself. Brass then continued interviewing Sara, as the two CSIs went about the work of processing the evidence.

"Did you notice anything unusual at the scenes where the photos were taken?"

"No, just your usual crowd of rubberneckers outside the tape. I mean, we were all there. None of us saw anything strange."

Warrick and Grissom went back to the small area with the couch and chairs where Sara and Brass had been talking. Grissom was holding a paper bag; Sara presumed he and Warrick had finished processing the stalker's photos.

"We're done with the photos here," Warrick said.

Sara asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Now what?"

Grissom answered. "First of all, this is now a crime scene. For all we know, there could be cameras all around the place and our stalker could be watching us right now. Warrick, you stay here and see if our stalker has any surprises. I'll call in Catherine and Nick to give you a hand. Brass, I think we could use some uniforms to keep an eye on the place."

Brass nodded.

"Sara, since your place is now a crime scene, you need a place to stay."

"There's a motel down the road-"

Grissom cut Sara off. "Too dangerous. If he is following you around, there's a chance he'll follow you wherever you end up going. You shouldn't leave yourself alone until this is resolved."

"I do carry a gun, you know..." Sara protested, albeit weakly. _And I have been alone for quite a while, if you've noticed._

"Not much use if you're suddenly surprised," Brass said. "Look, Grissom is right, someone should be with you for the time being."

Grissom spoke up next. "Sara, you can stay at my place. Until we fix this."

As he was saying the words his mind was going into overdrive. _Did I just say what I think I did? Did I just invite Sara to my house?_ _Why did I just say what I just said?_ His face didn't betray the flood of thoughts going through his mind at that very moment.

Neither did Sara's. Grissom's words had caught her attention too. _Did Gil Grissom just invite me, Sara Sidle, to his place? It's been a while, but I don't exactly want to go back under these circumstances... but I know he's perfectly right._

"I guess that'll have to do, then. Just let me get a few things together." With that, she left and headed for her bedroom. When she was out of sight, Grissom let out a small sigh of relief, which only Warrick noticed. _Now this is even more interesting. I'll have to see what Catherine thinks..._

Sara spent the next ten minutes to get clothes for about two nights into a medium-sized bag. While she was doing that, Brass called for two uniformed police officers to guard the scene, then left to talk to the building manager and see if he had noticed anything.

Meanwhile, Grissom got a hold of Nick and Catherine. He knew he was asking a lot of his team to work a double shift almost out of the blue, but he also knew how they'd respond. Nick said he was on his way, while Cath would first see off Lindsey to school, then she would join Warrick as well.

Just as Grissom was getting off the phone with Catherine, Sara stepped out of her bedroom, bag of clothes in hand. "Grissom? I'm all packed here."

Grissom nodded. "Okay. Warrick, keep searching for any other cameras in place here. Sara and I are heading back to the lab." With that, Grissom and Sara stepped out of the apartment, into Grissom's blue Denali.

When Warrick was sure they were both out of earshot, he said to himself, "Nick and Cath are not going to believe this." Warrick wasn't referring to the case, either. He just shook his head as he went back to searching for any hidden cameras.

***

It had been a long and quiet ride back to the lab for Grissom and Sara, a ride made even longer by the traffic. The events of the early morning had tired Sara out a bit, and she had spent most of the trip snoozing in the passenger seat beside Grissom. 

_A good thing_, he thought. _Things between us have become... confusing lately_. First it had been the explosion at the lab several months ago, then about two months ago she had told him she was worried whatever happened between them might affect her career.

_Now why would she think that? I'd never do anything to hurt her intentionally. Whether I've hurt her without thinking is another story entirely... _Grissom thought back to his parting words with Doctor Lurie, the man who had killed Debbie Marlin. _"I couldn't do it..." Yes, it's another story entirely, indeed._

Grissom pulled the Denali into his parking spot and unbuckled his seat belt before gently tapping Sara on her shoulder. She woke up with a start, before realizing what had happened and where she was. 

_What now? Hmm... it's not that I mind going to Grissom's house, but just not under these circumstances. On the other hand, I could really use some sleep right now..._

"Grissom?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you need to process the photos, but... can you do that at your place? I could really, really, use some sleep."

Grissom gave it some thought, the nodded. "Let me just drop these off at the lab, so they can see if they can turn up anything our suspect left behind. You coming?"

_Well, it beats waiting here in the parking lot._ "Sure."

As they were about to enter Trace, Grissom and Sara ran into the one person they didn't want to run into, especially right now. Conrad Ecklie.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here. Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle. I thought graveyard was slow, so what are you two doing here?"

Grissom was in no mood to humor Ecklie, especially right now. "Conrad, if you're not going to help, shut up and get out of the way." His tone was calm, but anyone who heard him could tell that he was extremely angry.

Ecklie thought about making a snide remark, but the cold fury he saw in Grissom's eyes made him fear for his own safety. "Erm, okay..." He got out as fast as he could without making it seem like he was running. Eventually Grissom and Sara made it to Trace, where Hodges was today.

He had heard the exchange between Grissom and Ecklie, so he wisely decided to hold his tongue. "Yes, sir?"

Grissom was quick to the point. "Test everything for prints and run them through AFIS. If there's any bit of evidence as to who sent these, I want to find out yesterday. If you can't find me, give it to any CSI on graveyard."

"Right away." Hodges may have been an ass sometimes, but even he knew better than to get in the way of an angry Grissom.

Grissom turned to Sara, his tone noticeably softening. "Let's go."

***

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

The second chapter of my first fic. As always, thanks to my beta readers for catching all the errors I make. I hope you all like it.

If anyone has any comments, suggestions, violent reactions, etc., feel free to e-mail me.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 2 of ??)  
Author: Jonathan  
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me.  
Archiving: Just ask me before you put it up.  
Synopsis: Nick, Catherine, and Warrick discover a rude surprise in Sara's apartment. The stalker gets identified, and Grissom gets real angsty.

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Nick and Catherine were entering Sara's apartment building when they came across Brass, who had just finished interviewing some of the building's staff. Catherine shouted to get Brass' attention.

"Brass! What's going on? All we know is there's some sort of all-hands emergency at Sara's place?"

Brass turned to the approaching pair and waited for them to catch up. "Some nutjob's been following Sara around for at least two weeks – sent photos of her from around that time. Warrick's in there right now, checking if there's anything else in her apartment."

Both of them looked a bit shocked, alarmed, and angry all at the same time. It was Nick who first spoke. "Sara has a stalker? Man, that's... sick."

Catherine wondered how much of that reaction was because of Nick's personal experience with a stalker. _Probably a lot. The bastard better hope Nick doesn't catch him_. 

They made their way to Sara's apartment, which was now guarded by a uniformed officer. Brass opened the door, and Catherine and Nick entered. Warrick was inside, scanning the walls with his flashlight.

Catherine asked Warrick what he was doing, while she and Nick donned gloves.

"Well, we know this isn't the primary scene, so all there is to do here is make sure the guy didn't leave other devices in here."

Catherine whistled. "Easier said than done. Found anything so far?"

"Nope. No holes in the walls or floors, or the ceiling. The walls don't look like they've been patched. I can't see any evidence of any sign of major work on this apartment."

Catherine opened her field kit and pulled out her flashlight. "Let's make sure."

The trio spent the next twenty minutes searching for anything Warrick might have missed, but the result was the same – Sara's apartment was clean. Meanwhile, Brass left to see if the uniforms had seen anything unusual. It was possible – but not likely – that the stalker was nearby.

Nick sat himself on the couch. "This place is a dry hole. There's nothing here..."

The entrance opened and Brass stepped in again. If the stalker was nearby, he had done a good job of evading the uniformed cop that had been patrolling the immediate area.

The three CSIs looked a bit tired and frustrated, Brass saw. The whole team wanted to catch the person responsible badly, but they couldn't do that if there was no evidence to point them in the right direction. They could do nothing but become frustrated, and all three felt that way right now.

"You didn't find anything, I see," Brass observed.

"Yep," Catherine answered for everyone.

Just then, though, Nick noticed the light fixture on the ceiling above the coffee table. "Or maybe not yet."

Catherine and Warrick turned to look at Nick.

Nick pointed at the light fixture. "You see that?" There was nothing out of the ordinary, it was just a circular white dome that held a fluorescent light under the plastic cover.

Catherine gave Nick a quizzical look. "I don't see anything. All I see is... that."

"No, Cath, look. See that spot in the middle? It's unusually dark."

It was Warrick's turn to be confused. "So...?"

"That means there's something in there that's not supposed to be there. Here, let me check."

Nick opened his field kit and got out a small screwdriver. He went on to clear a small space from the crowded coffee table so he could find some footing – then pried loose the semi-transparent covering. There, right in the middle, was... something. All four persons in the room knew, though, that it was not supposed to be there.

"What the hell is that?" Catherine asked.

There was a brief moment of silence before Brass spoke. "Wait a minute, I think I've seen something like this before... oh yeah, now I remember. The undercover boys love to put a hidden camera in stuff like that. Could be what we're dealing with."

Nick was examining it more closely, while taking pictures from the digital camera he retrieved from his vest. "Well, we've got a very small lens here... so it looks like it is a camera."

Catherine, though, was skeptical. "If it is a camera, then how does the video get out? There must be a cable or something."

Nick shook his head. "Nope, I don't see any added cables... just this one to get power."

Warrick answered Catherine's question. "Could be its wireless."

Nick stepped down from the coffee table. "That could work." He paused, then went on. "If that is the case, we're dealing with one slick fellow here. The materials ain't tough to find, but the know-how isn't all that common."

Catherine wondered how Nick would now so much about small electronic devices. "Nicky, where did you learn about all this stuff?"

Nick grinned, and said, "My neighbor's a tech-head. Knows this stuff inside-out."

"Oh." Catherine didn't have much else to say. 

Brass stifled a yawn, then asked Warrick, "Mind if I leave you three in here? I could use some sleep. I'll leave my notes at the station, probably better if we leave this until tonight. Sara should be safe with Grissom, anyway."

Catherine answered for the three CSIs. "No problem, we can take care of things here."

"See you all soon, then." Brass said as he left the apartment.

When she was sure Brass wouldn't hear them, Catherine looked at Nick and Warrick and asked, "Did I hear that right? Sara should be safe _with Grissom_?"

"Warrick, man, where are they anyway?" Nick asked.

"Oh yeah, forgot to mention that. Sara's with Grissom right now. Griss and Brass said that she might not be totally safe here, especially since she's alone. So, Sara's with him right now, either at the lab or his place."

Catherine could barely keep her eyes in their sockets. "So, Grissom and Sara are with each other, at his place, right now?"

Warrick nodded. "Yeah. You should have seen how they were behaving around each other, Cath, you wouldn't believe it." Warrick then started describing the whole series of events which had transpired earlier that morning, including the tension between Grissom and Sara. The conversation was punctuated with Nick saying "No way!" and "You're kidding!" rather frequently.

The relationship between Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle was both the worst and best kept secret among the members of the graveyard shift. Everyone knew that there was _something_ there, and when the two worked a case together the rumor mill worked overtime. On the other hand, though, it was something which seldom, if ever, went outside of graveyard.

Truth be told, though, almost everyone wanted the two to hook up somehow. Even David and Greg. Neither seemed to have a life outside of the lab – or, in Grissom's case, his bugs. Sometimes, the relationship was good; sometimes, it was bad. Once, Catherine had summed up the whole story in one quote. "Gil and Sara can't live without each other. Sometimes, though, they can't live with each other."

Catherine knew that lately it had been more on the bad side. The explosion at the lab several months ago had frazzled nerves, but everyone had bounced back quite nicely. However, for some reason, it had put a serious dent in the relationship. Things had just not been the same since then; the recent Debbie Marlin case had not helped, either.

_If I believe the rumor mill, it's because Sara asked Grissom out just after the lab blew up – but he said no. Gil, you can be such a smart CSI but so dumb when it comes to Sara. What will it take for you to pull yourself out of your shell and realize how much she cares about you?_

As Warrick continued describing the events to Nick, Catherine gave a faint smile. Nick and Warrick noticed and stared a bit at Catherine. She looked at the two, then said. "Come on guys. Let's nail this bastard as fast as we can. After we nail him – who knows? Maybe, just maybe, Grissom and Sara will fix things on their end."

She gestured to the open light fixture. "Okay, then, so we have a camera on that light fixture. How do we get it off and bag it?"

The three CSIs then proceeded to retrieve the one piece of evidence they had recovered from Sara's apartment.

***

Grissom looked at the clock. It was 9:30 in the morning. Ordinarily, he would be asleep now. Today, however, was far from an ordinary day. Just as he was supposed to go home, Sara's stalker had caused everyone to work overtime. Warrick and Catherine had both gone home, while Nick had the job of following up on the photos left at the lab earlier and telling Grissom of the results of the search of Sara's apartment.

Grissom, meanwhile, had downloaded the pictures off his digital camera onto his notebook computer. He had examined them closely, seeing if they had any evidence beyond what they showed. So far, though, he had found nothing. The long time spent had just confirmed that whoever was responsible was one disturbed individual, but he had known that from the start.

_I'm going nowhere real fast. I should turn in -_

_Or I would, except for the tiny little fact that Sara is in my bed. I doubt she would exactly be pleased if she woke up with me beside her right now_. Sara had been so tired that morning she had entered the first bedroom she saw, not knowing that it was Grissom's. By the time he noticed, Sara was fast asleep.

Just then, the phone next to him rang.

"Grissom."

"It's Nick. The tests on your envelope and photos came back."

_About time._ "Results?"

"Envelope first. There's a ton of prints, but none of them are usable. No DNA present on the flap, either; he didn't use his saliva to seal the envelope. No usable evidence on it."

Grissom sighed in frustration. "Anything on the photos?"

"On one of the photos we found a straight-on fingerprint match. It looks like our suspect got careless. We have a match from AFIS, I'll fax the results and our suspect's criminal record right after this."

_Excellent. So our suspect has a name and face now. Not too surprised he has a criminal record. _"Good work. Anything else?"

"Yeah. Two things. At the very bottom of the envelope, we found another piece of paper, not much larger than a calling card. We nearly missed it."

"What was on that card, Nick?"

Nick's voice took on a worried tone. "Just two words, written in longhand: 'I'm watching.'"

Grissom felt a cold chill run through his spine. He took a moment to bring his tone under control, but he wasn't entirely successful. "Damn..."

"Yeah. The other thing is... we found a small camera in Sara's apartment."

"What? Where?" Grissom became even more flustered at Nick's news.

"It was hidden in the light fixture in the living room. Tests on it are pending as we speak."

"How in the world did it get there?"

"We don't know. Brass is working on that. That's all we have for now."

"Okay, then." Grissom hung up. His hands trembled a little as he put down the headset.

A little later, the fax machine came to life and several pages came out. 

The fingerprint belonged to a certain Manuel de la Vega. Based on the file, he was a professional criminal with a mean streak. He had a lengthy rap sheet, with active warrants for his arrest from California and Texas. Los Angeles had a warrant out on him for rape. Dallas wanted him for the rape and murder of another woman, the murder of a police officer and the wounding of a Texas Ranger.

_Knowing the Texan justice system, all that would probably ensure the chair_, Grissom mused. _Sex offender, with two deaths on his record... as dangerous a felon as any I've seen. And now, he is probably in Las Vegas. Great._

If Grissom was worried before, he became alarmed when he read the details of the Dallas and LA cases. Both involved brunettes around Sara's height and weight. They were also around her age as well. 

The LA case seemed to be a fairly cut-and-dry rape case. The victim there had been jumped on the way to her car and dragged to a nearby park. That was where she was found, shivering in the morning cold the next day.

It was the Dallas incident which had especially worried Grissom. It had taken place three months after Los Angeles. A late night convenience store clerk had been raped and strangled by de la Vega. He had left more than enough evidence to track him down, but the team sent to arrest him had ended up coming under fire – ending with a Dallas cop dead, a Texas Ranger wounded severely, and de la Vega nowhere to be found. 

What was even more worrying was that there were indications that de la Vega had been stalking his prey in Dallas as well. At the victim's apartment, photos sent by mail to her had been found.

Like those sent to Sara, they had been taken by someone following her. Based on the postmarks, they had been received approximately two weeks before her untimely death. Fingerprints belonging to de la Vega were also found both on the photos and the envelope they had been sent in. DNA was also present, though there was no sample to compare it to.

Grissom sat there, silently reading the faxed case file. Slowly, but surely, he assembled all the facts into a possible theory.

_Manuel de la Vega rapes a woman in Los Angeles. He discovers that he likes it... the feeling of utterly dominating another human being, particularly a woman. By this time, though, things are becoming dangerous in Los Angeles, so he makes his way out of town and ends up in Dallas._

_Sometime in between, the desire to dominate becomes even stronger. He's become a sexual predator, taking everything he can from his chosen victim... from his prey._

_Before he assaults another woman, he must make her afraid of him. To reduce her to... nothing. So he follows the victim around, takes photos of her, and sends them. He does this for two weeks. By the end of it, his chosen prey is feeling vulnerable, alone, paranoid, and scared._

_Having taken away her dignity, he proceeds to the other items on his list: her chastity and her life. He rapes and kills his prey. The predator sated – for now – he moves on to another city, where he finds his next victim._

When he finished conceiving the theory in his mind, Grissom felt a chill. For the first time in years, this was a criminal that he was actually a bit scared of. That was unthinkable. No criminal, no matter how vicious, violent, or downright psychotic, could make Gil Grissom think twice about gathering the evidence needed to put him away. Not Paul Milander. Not the Strip Strangler. Certainly none of the other vicious criminals he had helped convict and send to prison.

However, none of them had aimed right at the things Grissom held dear to his heart. He had faced danger before and accepted it as a job hazard. It was something else entirely when it was someone he deeply cared for who was the target. It was something which scared – no, _terrified_ – him.

Grissom knew his theory was just that – a theory. He couldn't take that into court. He needed more evidence to put together a clear picture. _We still don't know how he meets his victims. The hidden camera is a good place to start figuring that out – Brass is already on it._

He sighed. _The evidence isn't telling a clear story – yet. It takes time. It's only been several hours. You need to get some rest. No reason stay up if nothing is getting done. _

There was one thing he had to do before he would sleep, though.

He went back to his bedroom, opened it silently so it wouldn't make noise, and poked his head inside. Sara was there, sleeping quite soundly on his bed. To Grissom, her sleep seemed... peaceful, serene, perhaps.

After a brief moment, he closed the door. He sighed. He walked over to the collection of butterflies he kept, and removed one from his wall to look at it more closely. _Beautiful yet fragile. Just like Sara, in many ways. _

Grissom looked out the nearby window. _I never realized how much she meant to me – and how much I've hurt her before._

He put the framed butterfly back on the wall. _She said back then, "And when you finally figure it out, you might be too late." Am I? Dammit, Gil, how could you have been so blind? Why did it take you this long and all that's happened to realize how much you meant to her?_

He let out a long sigh, and looked down at the floor. _It's my fault I've hurt her so much. She wouldn't even be in Vegas if I hadn't called. _

Grissom banged the back of his head against the wall, and bit his lower lip. _I swear, when this is all over, I'm going to do right by Sara. It's the least I owe her – and myself. One last try to fix things with her._

He glanced in the direction of the door to his bedroom. _I hope I'm not too late. Please, Sara, tell me I'm not._

Letting out a long sigh, he laid down on his couch and shut his eyes, trying to get some sleep. He found it soon enough, but it was not very restful.

***

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

The third chapter of my story. I hope you guys all like it.

Thanks to all my beta readers for helping out a lot. I owe you all a big thanks.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 3 of ??)  
Author: Jonathan  
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me.  
Archiving: Just ask me before you put it up.  
Synopsis: Sara wakes up and realizes where she is. The team gets a good lead, and Brass comes face to face with their suspect.

--------------------------------------------------

Sara slowly woke up, not quite sure where she was. Then she looked around and realized - _this is Grissom's bed. Why am I here? Oh, yes, right, some nut's been stalking me_.

She sighed, before looking over at the nightstand and seeing the time. Sara realized she had been asleep for six hours; that was the longest time she'd managed to sleep in a while.

Sara realized she needed a shower, but decided to first look for Grissom. She stepped out of the bedroom, and found Grissom sleeping on the sofa. She sat herself on one of the armrests. 

_He looks so tired, _Sara mused. _Probably looking over the evidence._ Sara brushed back a stray curl of hair from Grissom's forehead. _Even he's showing the stress of working multiple double shifts._ The whole graveyard shift had been working a great deal of overtime lately; last night had been a welcome relief.

Sara bit her lower lip and sighed inwardly. _Do you even realize how much you mean to me, Gil? I don't know... I really don't know. I wish I could open your eyes..._

She had been watching the interrogation of Doctor Lurie by Grissom and Brass on the other side of the one-way mirror. Unbeknownst to Grissom, she had heard it all – including Grissom's parting words. She had barely managed to hold back her tears. Any doubts she had that he cared for her had vanished that moment; but it was also mixed with anguish when she realized that he felt it was too late. 

_You're not too late, Gil. You're not... You're the only person who's ever taken total control of my heart. You still have it, and you don't even know it... Just open your eyes and you'll see. I'm still there, waiting for you._

She continued to stay there, gazing at the sleeping Grissom. Eventually, though, he began to stir from his slumber.

Grissom groaned as he began to rise from the sofa. "Sara? You're awake?"

"Yeah. You look like the one who needs to rest, though."

"I didn't want to wake you up... you looked like you needed your rest this morning."

There was a brief pause as neither quite knew what to say next.

Sara broke the silence. "So, anything new on the case?"

"The envelope doesn't have any usable evidence – prints were unusable, and there's no DNA. On one of the photos, the lab found a usable print."

Sara nodded her head. "AFIS have an ID on the guy?"

"Yes, but..."

"But what?"

"I suggest you sit down first."

Sara gave Grissom a quizzical look. "Grissom..."

Grissom, in turn, gave Sara a pleading look. "Sara... please?"

_Why is Grissom being nice to me all of a sudden? _Sara silently sat herself beside Grissom, though she left a bit of room between them.

After Sara had sat down, Grissom continued. "AFIS did turn up a match – to a certain Manuel de la Vega. Professional criminal, with outstanding warrants from LA and Dallas."

Sara picked up the folder which had the case file Nick had previously faxed over. She began reading the papers inside – and turned pale when she saw the crimes he was wanted for. _Two rapes, two murders, one attempted murder... and now he's after me. _She shuddered involuntarily.

_It was easy to think he was some silly lunatic when we didn't know anything about him. Now, we do know something... he's not a silly lunatic. He's a predator now... and I'm his prey._

Sara was strong, but this was too much, even for her. "Why me, Grissom? Why is this... creep after me now?" She tried to hold back her tears, but some flowed down her cheek. 

Grissom reached for her hands, trying to bring the comfort that his words could not bring. "We're... we're not entirely sure. It may be because you've been... profiled."

Sara could hardly believe it. "Pro... profiled?"

Grissom nodded slowly, before speaking as softly as he could. "Both victims were brunettes, about your height and weight..." He went no more before tears started flowing down her cheek.

"It's – it's not fair, dammit. Why me?" She slammed her fist hard on the sofa. It was the proverbial straw which broke the camel's back. _It's all too much. Grissom, the lab explosion, the whole Debbie Marlin case, now this stalker... _Sara sobbed as she put her face in her hands.

_She needs someone to give her strength, _Grissom thought. _She's afraid, but if I hug her right now-_

His thoughts were interrupted by Sara reaching across to put her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulders.

She stayed there for several minutes, with neither one speaking. After a few minutes, Sara looked into Grissom's eyes.

"Grissom?" Her voice was still shaky.

He didn't say anything; his look of concern said it all.

"I... I don't care what's happened or didn't happen between... us... lately. I... I just need someone to be there, for me, right now." Her eyes spoke what she couldn't bring herself to say. _Gil Grissom, I need you. Please..._

Grissom answered, too, without any words. _I'm here, Sara. I won't leave you now._

Sara hugged Grissom even tighter. For that moment, all the events of the past few years – all the hurt, all the wrongs done – were forgiven and forgotten. All that mattered was that there were two people who needed each other in the darkest hour. They stayed in that embrace for what seemed like forever, before both falling asleep in each other's arms.

***

Nick got a cup of coffee from the coffeemaker in the break room. After faxing the file to Grissom, he had gone home to sleep but he hadn't had much success finding it. Nick had instead come back to the lab early to see if any of the evidence they had collected that morning was telling them anything.

"Not much sleep, eh Nicky?" Nick turned to the source of the voice. It was Catherine.

"Yeah. That guy after Sara is one sick bastard."

"I know. Two rapes, two murders... he's certain to end up in the chair."

"We have to catch him first before he can fry, Nick. Hodges get back to you yet?"

"That's where I was about to head off to. You coming?"

"You bet."

Nick and Catherine made their way to the lab, looking for Hodges. They eventually found him after some searching, but he looked frazzled. Neither one could remember ever seeing Hodges in such a condition. Catherine asked if he was done with the camera.

"I'm afraid not." Nick was about to protest loudly, but Hodges continued. "Don't shoot the messenger. Ecklie's people dropped this whole big load of evidence on me and made me do it first."

Catherine gave Hodges a not-so-friendly stare. "Hodges, what case could be more important than a CSI in danger?"

"Narcotics unit had one of those cop show cameras following them around. Unfortunately, they got into a shoot-out. Footage is all over the cable news networks; Sheriff Atwater told Ecklie to work on it pronto."

Catherine just shook her head. _Trust Conrad to do exactly what Atwater says. If the Sheriff tells him to jump from a building, he'll ask from what floor._

"Look, if you haven't done it yet, why don't you just give it to us so we can do it ourselves?" Nick asked of Hodges.

"It's... this bag." Hodges handed over a small paper bag that had the hidden camera inside. Catherine took the bag from him, and the two CSIs went off into an unused lab room.

After twenty minutes or so, Warrick showed up at the door and joined them.

"Couldn't sleep either?" asked Nick.

"Heck no. I don't think any of us will be getting a lot of sleep until we catch this guy."

"Got that right," said Catherine as Nick bent his head down towards the camera, which was on the evidence table. 

"Got anything so far?"

Nick answered. "One set of prints on the outside, nothing else. Just examining the inside now."

The computer in the corner beeped. "And that would be the AFIS search," said Catherine. She and Warrick walked over to it.

"Not our first suspect," Warrick noted.

"So he had an accomplice."

"We still don't know who he is, though."

Nick spoke up from the table. "Hey, got another print here guys."

He lifted the print and fed it into the computer. As they were waiting for the database scan to turn up something, Brass showed up.

"Hey. Did you find anything?" Catherine asked.

"Nope. Manager didn't see anything, neighbors didn't see anything, rent-a-cop at the gate didn't see anything." He saw the disassembled camera on the table. "I thought Grissom gave that to the lab to process this morning."

"He did," said Warrick. "Ecklie dumped a narco shooting on them, though."

"Oh, that." Brass had seen the news reports on the TV. "Good thing I don't have any of those guys following me around. Can't resist my charming good looks."

Catherine chuckled. "Got that right."

Just then the PC beeped. It had found a match.

Warrick looked over the monitor. "Print belongs to our suspect."

"So, we know our first suspect, de la Vega, built the thing – but he didn't put it in." Catherine said.

"But this guy," Warrick said while punching a key on the keyboard, "probably did."

"So who is he?" Nick asked.

Brass looked at the face on the screen. "Easy. I interviewed him earlier."

The three CSIs glared at Brass. "And he would be...?" Catherine said.

"The building electrician."

Nick's jaw dropped. "Gives him opportunity."

"Bring him in for questioning?" Catherine asked Brass.

"You bet." He stepped out of the room to have the electrician brought in.

"Somebody tell Grissom," Catherine said.

Nick let out a grin. "You tell him, Cath."

"Why me, Nick?"

"Well, it was your idea after all..."

"No, I mean, what's the problem with calling Grissom right now?"

Warrick spoke up. "Well, Sara is there after all..."

In response to Catherine's glare of disbelief, both Nick and Warrick gave off grins of innocence. She could only raise her hands in frustration at the two. "Fine. I'll do it."

She left the lab, leaving Nick and Warrick to continue inspecting the hidden camera for any more evidence.

***

Sara began to awaken, and her movements stirred Grissom from his sleep as well. As they both woke up, they realized the position they were in. Their eyes locked, and the communication was almost instant: _This isn't a dream, right? It can't be. No, it most definitely is not._

Grissom opened his mouth cs if to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. _I don't know what I'm supposed to say._

Sara was just lying there, with a hint of a smile. 

Grissom eventually found his voice. He spoke very gently; as if he was afraid someone else would hear. "Sara, I think... there are some things we... should talk about."

"What... things?"

_I have to admit it now, don't I? _"I mean... us, Sara."

She nodded in response. _Please, Gil, don't push me away. You don't want to, but you keep doing it anyway. Not now..._

Just as Grissom was about to speak, the speaker phone on the coffee table rang.

They both dropped their heads at the sound. Their thoughts were identical – _dammit_.

It kept ringing. "I think you should answer," said Sara.

Wordlessly, Grissom nodded. Sara rose from the couch and sat herself on the other end, while Grissom took the call.

"Grissom."

"It's Catherine. We processed the camera, and we found prints both inside and outside. Inside prints belong to our suspect, but the outside prints don't."

"You have an ID?"

"Brass identified the guy as the electrician in Sara's apartment building."

Grissom looked over at Sara and raised an eyebrow. Sara's eyes just opened wide at the news.

Catherine's disembodied voice continued. "Is, uh, is Sara there?"

Sara answered. "I'm here."

"Sara, when was the last time you had the light over your coffee table looked at?"

"The electrician came over about... three days ago. Said there was a recall or something like that."

After a moment, Grissom spoke next. "If the camera was placed three days ago, it would explain why the photo of Sara entering her apartment is only two days old."

Sara continued Grissom's thread of thought. "All the other photos were taken in public or semi-public areas. That was the only one taken inside my apartment."

Everyone involved in the conversation realized the importance of the camera. Grissom said, "Catherine, can we bring the electrician in?"

"We're ahead of you. Brass is going over to speak to him now."

Grissom decided to end the phone call. "Thanks, Catherine." He hung up, then faced Sara. "I think we should head over to the lab."

Sara nodded. "Yeah." She looked him in the eye, and her eyes told him: _We'll have to have that talk later._

It was Grissom's turn to nod. _Yes we will._

***

Brass drove up to the electrician's house, parking his unmarked car. He instantly realized something was wrong.

There was a large, burly man yelling banging on the door. Brass also noticed there was a bulge in the man's shirt near his waist. His cop instincts told him what it was – a gun. He called for more backup before getting out of his vehicle, gun in hand.

Just as Brass closed his door shut, he heard a loud bang. The door to the house had been kicked in and the guy at the entrance was about to enter. He also had his gun up, as if he was going to shoot someone.

_Crap. I hope that backup gets here soon._

Brass raised his gun and pointed it at the intruder. He shouted, "Las Vegas Metro PD! Drop your weapon!"

The intruder turned around and saw Brass. He recognized who the intruder was.

It was Manuel de la Vega.

Brass' instincts of self-preservation took over and he ducked behind the car for cover. Shots rang out, and broken glass rained over Brass as rounds from de la Vega's gun hit the unmarked cruiser, breaking the windows and flattening the tires.

Brass peeked out, and saw de la Vega entering his maroon pickup from the passenger's side. More shots rang out, this time from Brass' gun. The rear windshield turned to pieces; de la Vega entered the cab and fired more shots at Brass, who was still using his shot-up car for cover. 

The next thing Brass heard was tires screeching on the pavement as the pickup sped away from the scene. He got up from the crouching position he had been and thought about firing at the speeding pickup, but he knew he would probably miss and held his fire. He was able to see part of the pickup's plates, and quickly committed it to his memory.

Pausing to reload and call the dispatcher, Brass carefully entered the house. He found the electrician in a corner of the kitchen, cowering in fear. Seeing Brass enter, he shouted out in fear, "Don't hurt me, please! I only did what you told me to!" He had mistaken Brass for de la Vega.

Brass wasn't sympathetic. "I'm the police." The sound of sirens marked the arrival of the reinforcements Brass had asked for. Looking at the cowering man, he said, "And you are in serious trouble."

***

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

The fourth chapter of my six-chapter story. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

As usual, thanks to all my beta readers for helping turn this into something readable. Any remaining mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 4 of 6)  
Author: Jonathan  
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me.  
Archiving: Just ask me before you put it up.  
Synopsis: Everyone gets busy gathering evidence after Brass's shootout. Meanwhile, Grissom and Brass have a chat with the apartment electrician.  


--------------------------------------------------

Grissom and Sara strode into the conference room. Nick, Warrick, and Catherine were already seated. The atmosphere was that of a war council; and in many ways it was one. Everyone had put together the facts, much like Grissom had that morning, and come to the conclusion that Sara had been picked specifically by a stalker. 

One of their own had been targeted. Everyone wanted to make sure there would be hell to pay.

The topic eventually came to Sara's electrician. "Brass should be bringing him in..." Nick's voice faded as Greg came into the room, running and out of breath.

Greg began speaking, but his speech was so fast no one understood what he was saying.

"Slow down, Greg. What happened?" Grissom said to the panting lab tech.

"Dispatch called. Brass got into a shootout when he drove up to the electrician's house."

Everyone exchanged looks of concern and shock.

"A shootout? With the electrician?" Catherine was the one to ask.

"Nope. Your suspect was there, blowing the door down."

It was Warrick's turn to ask. "Wait, Greg. You're saying de la Vega was at the house, Brass came along just then, and Brass and the suspect shot it out?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Grissom asked about Brass. "He's fine. So's the guy he's bringing in. They should be in the interrogation room in about... twenty minutes."

Grissom turned around to face the four remaining CSIs. "Alright, we've got new evidence to look at. Catherine, take Nick and head over to the house. See if our suspect left anything we can use."

He turned to Warrick and Sara. "Warrick, Sara, process Brass's car. See if you can pull a match on any rounds left behind so we can see if there are any other crimes he's been up to." Everyone nodded. 

"Where will you be?" Cath asked Grissom.

"Interrogation room. Brass and I will be doing some talking to the electrician."

Everyone filed out of the room quickly – except for Grissom and Sara. Both stood up, but made no real effort to walk towards the door. Warrick closed it behind him, leaving the two alone in the room.

"Grissom, I can do this," said Sara.

"I know you can. It's just that..." Grissom paused. "I want you to be careful. You know that when this comes to trial the defense is going to use your presence to say the evidence is biased." _Are you sure you can do this, Sara?_

"They will, but you also know that everyone has to do be on board if we're going to process all the evidence quickly. You can't have anyone sit out." _Yes, I can do this, Grissom. Trust me._

Grissom just sighed in surrender. _She's right, and you know it._ "Just... be careful. Don't compromise anything, and I mean anything." _And I do trust you, Sara._

"I know. I won't mess this up. I promise." _Thanks._

Grissom gave a curt nod. Sara walked out of the room, with a faint smile. She joined Warrick and headed off to the garage; Grissom gathered his papers together and headed for his office, to gather his thoughts before the interrogation.

***

Warrick and Sara were in the CSI garage. Before them was Brass' car – or what was left of it.

Three of the four tires had been shot out and all of the windows had been broken. The interior of the car was littered with shards from the broken windows. The bodywork, surprisingly, didn't have too many bullet holes in it. Sara wondered how they had even dragged the car into the lab.

She turned to Warrick. "Now what?"

He shrugged. "Only one thing to look for in a shot up car - ballistic evidence."

"Yeah. You take the outside, I'll take the inside."

Warrick responded with an affirmative grunt.

She gave Warrick a hint of a smile. They both put on their gloves and picked up a flashlight to search for any bullet fragments that might have been left on the car, to definitely tie the gun used in the shootout to any other crimes.

As they were poking around, the two made small talk. Of course, the topic eventually turned to Grissom.

"So, how are you adjusting to your new place?" Warrick asked Sara, with just a hint of teasing in his voice.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, since you're living at Grissom's place right now..."

"Very funny, Warrick. It's just temporary." _Or not. Maybe_, Sara thought idly.

Warrick sensed something strange in how Sara had responded. He decided to keep probing and see how she'd respond. "And how was Grissom?"

"Huh?" Sara had been temporarily distracted.

"I said, how was Grissom?"

"Oh." _Just how do I answer? I can't exactly say we were in each other's arms, can I?_ "He's, uh... a good host."

It was Warrick's turn to be a bit distracted – but this time, by her answer. He could tell she was being a touch evasive, but what about he didn't know. _It must be something good, though. She doesn't seem pissed. _"A good host, Sara?"

There was just a hint of a smile on Sara's face. "Yes." She went no further.

_Now I'm really curious. However, extracting a secret from Sara is like trying to win a hundred poker hands in a row... only harder. _ "Oooo-kay..." he said, in surrender.

After an hour of searching, they had found all the evidence the car had to give. Warrick and Sara had found two bullets, both of which were relatively intact. They headed over to Ballistics, to see if the bullets could tell them anything they didn't already know.

***

Grissom stood behind the one-way mirror, watching the electrician in the interrogation room. He was fidgety, but that was not unusual. Brass came into the room and joined Grissom.

"You alright, Jim?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah. What can I say, somebody was looking out for me."

Grissom just shrugged his shoulders. "Anything on our electrician?"

Brass handed over a folder he had been carrying. "Name's Daniel Tilford. Not much of a record – just some traffic tickets, DUI, and disorderly conduct. No jail time, just some probation and community service for the last one."

"How did he get involved with our primary suspect? It doesn't add up."

"Well that's what we're going to find out, Dr. Grissom." Brass walked out, followed by Grissom. As soon as they soon entered the interrogation room, Daniel Tilford rose to his feet.

"I didn't do anything, I swear! I don't know why you guys brought me here!"

Brass spoke in a tone that showed restrained anger. "Sit down, Mr. Tilford." The witness could do nothing but meekly comply. 

Brass and Grissom took their seats. Grissom took the lead in the questioning. He asked him if he was the in-house electrician for Sara's apartment building.

Daniel's answer was both defiant and confused. "Yeah, I am. So? What's this all about?"

Brass shot the electrician a glare. "Mr. Tilford, we ask the questions here. Not you." He nodded to Grissom to continue. He asked if Daniel had made a service call at Sara's apartment three days earlier.

"Yeah... I did. Brunette, slim, long legs? Yeah, I did. So what?" He was becoming increasingly upset.

Grissom slipped a photo of the hidden camera Nick had taken earlier. "This is a hidden camera we found in that apartment, Mr. Tilford. We found your prints on the exterior of the device."

"I don't know what the heck that is. Somebody else must have put it up there."

Grissom shook his head. "There were no other prints on the outside, Mr. Tilford. We know that you put it in."

Brass spoke next. "Maybe you don't understand what's at stake here. That camera was used to stalk someone, with the threat of physical harm. In the state of Nevada, that's a felony." Brass's eyes locked onto Daniel Tilford like a pair of lasers. "If you don't tell us anything useful, you're going to the slammer. For a very, very, long, time."

Grissom watched the electrician's defiance melt away at the mention of jail time.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell. Just... protect me from that nut. I swear, he was going to kill me!"

Brass nodded, but only faintly so. "Tell us your story first."

Daniel Tilford then began to confess. Someone – who identified himself as "Julio" – had approached him after lunch a week ago. Julio had offered to give him five thousand dollars if he would put the device in Sara's apartment, the address of which Julio had given to Daniel. Julio also told Daniel that when the device was put in place, to stick a piece of green fluorescent tape to a specific light post outside the apartment building.

After the electrician had finished his confession, Brass asked him if he knew who Julio was.

"Damned if I know. All I know is he wanted me to do something for five grand in cash."

Grissom slid a photo of de la Vega across the table. "Is this... Julio?"

The electrician picked up the photo and looked at it. "Yeah... that's him."

Brass and Grissom didn't openly react, but they both knew this was a crucial break.

Grissom resumed the questioning. "Did you ever see Julio before he approached you about bugging the apartment?"

"No... wait, yes. There's this nice little place, not too far from the apartment. I sometimes eat there; saw both Julio and your brunette there once, maybe twice."

There was a pause as both Grissom and Brass took the time to digest the new information.

"Now look, guys, I'm not the crook here. Last I checked, Julio was at my door, threatening to kill me! Are you guys going to do something about it?"

Neither answered the question.

"Where'd the money go?" Brass inquired.

"Paid some bills. Ain't got any of it left."

Brass looked at Grissom, then nodded. Both men rose from their chairs. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Tilford," the latter said. 

"Wait. I'm not free to go?"

Brass coolly replied, "No. You're not."

Grissom followed. "Julio, as you know him, is actually a dangerous felon on the run. Two rapes, and two murders." Tilford looked shocked at Grissom's words.

"You're probably safest here, bud," said Brass. He opened the door and signaled for the officer outside to take Daniel Tilford into custody. The officer did, and soon Brass and Grissom were in the corridor.

"What do you think?" said Brass.

"He's telling the truth. No reason to lie, plus he's scared – not of us, but of the suspect."

"What now?"

"Warrick and Sara are processing your car. Nick and Catherine are at his house. Nothing we can do but wait for the evidence."

"Right. I'll see you, then." They parted ways, with Grissom heading off to look for Warrick and Sara.

***

Warrick and Sara were in Ballistics, waiting for the database search to finish. Grissom entered the room just at that moment. "Find anything?"

Sara answered. "We found two bullets, running them through the database now."

"What caliber?"

"Fifty caliber, Desert Eagle." Warrick said.

That took Grissom somewhat by surprise. "That's not very common. I wonder... the bullet database, it's local only, right?

Sara looked at Grissom, somewhat confused... "Yes, but..."

The CSI supervisor continued. "We need to compare our samples to the ones from Dallas."

Sara and Warrick immediately nodded in understanding. The Dallas police had provided their complete case file, and photos of all the evidence were included. Warrick soon had a side-by-side comparison of the bullets from Brass's car and the ones from Dallas.

"It's a match," said Sara.

Grissom nodded. "Same gun used in at least two shootings."

The computer beeped, indicating that they had found a match.

"Make that three..." Warrick said. "Dope dealer found a month ago, two rounds in the chest. Nothing probative there."

"We'll have to go over the file, make sure nothing was missed."

Sara turned to face Grissom. "Learn anything from the interrogation?"

"Plenty." Grissom laid out the evidence they had gathered from the electrician, and also described what had happened between their suspect and Brass.

As Grissom was talking though, Warrick was not only listening to him; he was also watching how Grissom and Sara dealt with each other.

_They were acting all strange, tense, and uncomfortable this morning. Now... they're still tense, but not like this morning. _Then it hit him. _This is just like the way things were back when she was new here._Warrick had noticed, like everybody else, that the two had grown distant over the past year or so. _Here they are, though, dealing with each other just like old times._

Just as Grissom was finished with his summary, Catherine walked in. "Hey. We just came back from the house – and we've got a ton of stuff of process and we could use a hand."

Grissom saw Nick walking into the room across the corridor carrying... something. All he could see was it was quite large and covered in white plastic sheeting. "Catherine, what is that?"

"Oh. That's the door our suspect broke down."

"The door." Grissom wasn't sure of what he had heard.

"Yeah, the door." 

Grissom just raised an eyebrow. His eyes were asking Catherine – _why?_ Warrick and Sara briefly exchanged glances of disbelief.

"Well, we decided it was better to do most of the processing here in the lab instead of out there in the field."

Grissom just shrugged his shoulders in surrender, but he had a wry grin on his face. "Anything aside from... that?" He pointed at the sheet-covered door.

"Yeah. We have casts of shoeprints from our suspect, and... his pickup truck." The answer came from Nick, who had just joined them.

"You found the truck?" Warrick asked.

"Three blocks from the scene. Kinda hard to drive when both of your rear tires are flat."

"How'd he get out?"

"Stole another car. O'Riley put out a bulletin on it."

Grissom began dividing the tasks they had to do among the team. "Nick, you brought it in, you process it. Take care of the door. Sara, follow up the bullets we found from Brass's car. Warrick, the shoeprints. Catherine, you're with me. Let's process that pickup. Oh, and you two," pointing to Nick and Catherine, "have Warrick or Sara bring you up to speed on the electrician. I'll head over to the garage and get a head start. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Then let's get to work."

***

To be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

The fifth chapter of my six-chapter story. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

As usual, thanks to all my beta readers for helping turn this into something readable. Any remaining mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 5 of 6)  
Author: Jonathan  
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me.  
Archiving: Just ask me before you put it up.  
Synopsis: The team finds evidence which brings up unwanted memories for Sara. Later, things come to a head between her and Grissom.

--------------------------------------------------

Warrick had filled Catherine in on more than just the case. He had also told her of how Grissom and Sara had behaved around each other. Catherine hadn't believed it at first, but Warrick had promised her that it was true. Now, she was determined to find out why.

First, though, they had to deal with the evidence at hand. Their suspect's pickup.

It was a maroon four-door Ford pickup, from the early to mid-90s. The back windshield was gone, shattered by Brass's shots. The two rear tires were also flat.

Grissom shined his flashlight inside. He found what could charitably be called a mess. The whole floor of the pickup seemed to be one giant garbage can, with cans of soda and hamburger wrappers scattered on the floor. There were also plenty of glass shards that had once been part of the back window.

Catherine came over to the other side of the vehicle. "One man's garbage is another man's treasure," Grissom said. "Somewhere in here lies the evidence we need to catch Manuel de la Vega."

Catherine was a little caught off-guard. Grissom almost never used the name of a suspect. To him, it was never about who they were after; it was always about the evidence. Nothing more. _Of course_, Catherine reminded herself, _this isn't any ordinary case._

She noticed that there was something in the seat beside the driver. "What's that?"

Grissom turned his flashlight on it. "Looks like a small printer... and a digital camera."

"Open the door?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. Let's photograph everything thoroughly before we touch it."

Grissom and Catherine began taking photos of the pickup's exterior and the inside. Just as they were finished, Warrick entered the room.

"Hey, Grissom, I'm done with the shoeprints, nothing real conclusive. We now know what his shoe size is, but that's it." Warrick paused. "Could you use a hand or something?"

Catherine answered for both of them. "Thanks, the inside looks worse than a frat house."

Warrick took a peek inside and shook his head. "I've seen cleaner dumpsters."

"Well, that dumpster is our newest piece of evidence. We need to sift through that mess if we're going to find our suspect." Grissom pulled on a pair of latex gloves. "Shall we?"

Grissom and Catherine moved towards the cab. Warrick had noticed that there was a locked toolbox in the bed of the truck, and he retrieved a bolt cutter. After cutting the lock, he shouted out to the two other CSIs.

"Hey, look what I found." He held up a kilo of cocaine, which had been in the toolbox.

Catherine let out a whistle. "So our suspect is a coke head, too."

Grissom continued bagging the remains of fast food meals he was finding inside. "It would explain how he could give five thousand dollars in cash to the electrician."

At that moment, Sara walked into the garage. The first thing she saw was Warrick, standing in the pickup bed, holding up the drugs. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Well, if you think it's one kilo of coke, yeah."

Grissom pulled his head out of the cab to listen to Sara. Seeing that she had everyone's attention, she continued. "I looked over the file, evidence is a blank, but Narcotics seems to think it's the drug gangs fighting with each other."

"Well, if he's got a kilo of drugs, I'm pretty sure this guy is a player," said Catherine.

Sara glanced at the pickup. She could see that it would be take a while to finish gathering and processing the evidence. "You guys need a hand?"

Catherine and Warrick turned to Grissom, wondering what he would say.

Grissom was silent for a moment. "Alright. But," he held up a finger, "you don't touch the evidence, even with gloves. Somebody else must bag it first. We can't risk you contaminating anything. Clear?" He tried to soften his tone as much as he could. 

Sara nodded. "Okay." 

The two other CSIs exchanged a look of relief, thankful that this had not turned into an argument.

Nick came into the room then. He noticed the somewhat awkward environment. "Uh... did I interrupt anything?"

Sara turned to face him, and gave him a smile. "No, no, not at all." 

"Oookay..." Nick turned to face Grissom. "Finished with the door. Prints confirm that the guy at the door is our suspect."

Grissom just nodded in response. With his whole team present, they could finally process the pickup in earnest. Grissom, Catherine, and Nick began removing the evidence from the cab. Sara was organizing the bags the others had filled, so that they could easily look over it later. Warrick had been sent off to the lab, with the camera and printer in hand. 

After what seemed like forever, Nick finally found something out of the ordinary. It was a folded-up piece of paper, similar to the ones the stalker had first sent to Sara. "Hey, I've got something," he said, catching the attention of everyone else in the room. Everyone moved to a nearby table, as Nick unfolded the paper.

When he was done, everyone was silent. The paper had thumbnails of Sara, from about a week ago. They were obviously pictures her stalker had taken. Nick just lowered his head. Catherine looked over to Sara, who just bit her lower lip. Her hand reached out for Grissom's. He squeezed it, as if to give her strength. She turned to face him, and his eyes told her all she wanted to hear from him. _We'll get him, Sara._ She gave a faint nod.

Catherine, Grissom, and Sara moved back to the truck. They were joined by Nick, after he was finished photographing and bagging the page full of thumbnails. The CSIs went back to removing the garbage from inside, but it had no more surprises.

Just as they were finished, Warrick entered the garage. He had a look of worry on his face. 

Nick asked Warrick what was wrong. "Archie found at least a hundred more photos on the memory card inside the camera. He also said that there could be a whole lot more, but he'll need time to check."

Sara and Grissom had been off to the side of the garage, cataloging the gathered garbage when Warrick had spoke. He gave her a quick glance. Her eyes met his. He spoke quietly, so that the others wouldn't hear.

"Sara... are you going to be alright?" He asked her, the concern and worry evident in his eyes.

Sara's voice was just as soft as Grissom's. "I will be..." He gave her a look, telling her he didn't buy it. "Or at least, I'll try."

Grissom just gave her a nod, but his eyes told her all she needed to know. She gave him a smile, which was as bright as the circumstances allowed.

"Guys, I found something." Catherine's voice caught everyone's attention. She had in her hands a notebook computer. "Found it under the driver's seat."

Everyone knew that Sara's stalker had most likely used a computer of some sort to get the images off the hidden camera in Sara's apartment. When Catherine held up the notebook, they knew what to expect. Photos, or a video, of Sara, alone in her apartment.

Catherine brought the computer over to a nearby workbench, much like Nick had done earlier. There was a small box with an antenna connected to it; everyone supposed it was for catching the signals from the hidden camera.

Everyone gathered around the computer as they waited for it to boot. The tension in the air was so thick one could practically cut a knife through it. Sara turned to face Grissom, whose hand was on the small of her back, as if to steady her.

The notebook finally booted, and it was right there on the desktop. It was a video file of some sort, and Cath moved the cursor over the icon, ready to play it.

Before she did, she turned to Grissom. "Play it?" she asked. He responded with a slight nod.

The video began to play on the screen of the computer. It was grainy, and there was no sound. Even then, it was clear to everyone what the video showed. Sara, at the end of shift, coming home to her apartment.

Sara had tried to prepare herself for what was going to happen. That didn't stop her from gasping. Then she realized when the video had been taken. It was the day before she had gotten the pictures in the mail; and she remembered what had taken place then...

***

The noise of the opening door lock echoed in the empty apartment. Sara entered the room and rested against the door. It had been a long, hard shift. She had been sent to a rape case at an apartment near UNLV. A guy had tried to rape his girlfriend, but the noise had caught the attention of the neighbor, who had pretty much charged into the room and manhandled the would-be rapist. It was an open-and-shut case, but that hadn't made it any easier to deal with.

She sighed. She had not wanted to handle the case. _Not now, with so much on my mind..._ Grissom, however, had made it clear that she had to. She was the only CSI who didn't have a case. Reluctantly, she had said yes. _Of course, I could never say 'no' to Grissom. Even if I tried._

Sara just bowed her head. It was days like this that hurt so much. Sometimes, the gruesome crimes she dealt with daily and her distant relationship with Grissom was too much, even for someone as strong as Sara was. 

She went to the kitchen and retrieved a beer from the refrigerator. It was a vice she didn't particularly like, but it was something to help the pain go away. That was all she wanted – for the pain that seemed to always be present in her life to leave.

Entering the living room once again, she grabbed a photo of her and Grissom. It had been taken about three years ago, when she had newly arrived in Las Vegas. _Happier times, back when Grissom and I..._

_Grissom. It always comes back to you, doesn't it? I still love you, but... I don't understand. Why do you keep pushing me away? _Her mind went back several weeks into the past. "_I couldn't do it..." I saw it in your eyes. You're hurting. So why do you keep doing it? Why do you keep pushing me away? Why?_

Sara didn't have any answers. The same questions had been in her mind for several weeks already, but there were still no answers.

She closed her eyes and lied down on the sofa. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and she tried to push the pain out of her heart. It didn't work.

***

Back in the garage, Sara gasped as the video began to play. Grissom turned to her and saw something was very wrong. He had no idea what the video was showing; he was entirely focused on the brunette beside him.

"Excuse me... I've got to go," Sara stammered, and moved towards the door. She didn't get far before Grissom gently took her by the elbow and led her out. Everyone turned away from the computer, not quite sure of what had happened.

Nick wanted to go help Sara, but Catherine stopped him. "She'll be fine, Nicky. Trust me." He just nodded.

Warrick put words to the thoughts which were on everyone's mind. "Guys, what's going on?"

Nick spoke up. "I don't know, man, it's just plain... strange, that's all."

"I think I know." Nick and Warrick turned to face Catherine. "Think about it. Sara's probably one of the most private people here at the lab, if not all of Las Vegas. How do you think someone like her would react to someone taking a video of her inside her apartment?" She turned to the notebook and stopped the video. She consciously avoided looking at the screen, not wanting to violate Sara's privacy any more than it already had been.

"But she knew there was a camera. I mean, you did tell her, Cath," Warrick reasoned.

Nick shook his head. "Having someone tell her is one thing. Seeing it up close and personal – that's something else."

Catherine let out a sigh and shook her head. "Let's worry about Grissom and Sara later, okay? For now, we've got things to process and not enough time to do it." She turned her attention to the computer, while Nick and Warrick resumed their search of the truck.

Meanwhile, Grissom had led Sara back to his office. He sat her on one of the chairs in front of his desk, locked the door, then took the chair opposite Sara's.

Sara had managed to collect herself during the walk from the garage to Grissom's office. Still, she had a hard time bringing her eyes up to meet his.

Grissom noticed that fact. "Sara..." Her eyes were still not meeting his. "Honey, what's wrong?"

The words wore spoken so softly that they were barely audible. However, as far as Sara was concerned, he might well have been shouting. _When was the last time he called me 'honey'? Right after the lab blew up... too long ago._

"I... I don't know."

Grissom took Sara's hands into his. "Sara, something is wrong. What is it?"

Sara managed to look into Grissom's eyes. _What do I tell him? _She sighed. "You... me... us... I don't know where we are anymore." _I'm hurting, Gil. _There was more than a hint of sadness in her voice, as she told him just what had happened in her apartment two days ago.

When she was done, it was Grissom's turn to lower his head to the floor. She saw it in his eyes – _you're hurting too. So why do you keep doing it? I don't understand._

For what seemed like an eternity, neither Grissom nor Sara spoke. The emotions were running through both of them, but the words to express them could not be found. Both were exceptionally smart individuals, but communicating was not a particularly strong suit for either. 

Finally, Grissom managed to face Sara. "I... I don't know where to begin. I... haven't been a particularly good friend, or a supervisor. I'm... sorry."

Sara moved her hand to Grissom's cheek. "Gil... neither of us has been a good friend for a while. We've both screwed up so many times... we've both been so stupid." There was just a hint of a smile on her face, and her eyes were misty.

"Yeah. Sara-" He was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on his door. Sara lowered her hand from Grissom's cheek, her pale features turning a bit red in embarrassment. "Let's... pick this up later."

Grissom rose from the chair, then grabbed a box of Kleenexes which he handed to Sara. He got a nod and a small smile in thanks. Walking over to the door, he found Warrick and Catherine on the other side of it.

"Find anything new?" His question was aimed at Catherine.

She shook her head. "No. Another envelope full of photos, and a small flash memory card. The card is similar to the one the camera uses. Everything is with the lab, results will be back in a few hours." 

Grissom glanced at his wristwatch. "Okay. Where's Nick?"

Warrick answered. "Nick's dropping the stuff off at the labs."

Catherine stifled a yawn, which Grissom noticed. His decision had already been made, but she had just confirmed it. "Alright. We're well into a double shift, and there's nothing we can do until the results come in. Let's all get some sleep and a good meal, look at the evidence with fresh eyes in a few hours time."

"What about-"

Grissom held up his hand. "She'll be fine, Cath."

"Ooookay..." Catherine and Warrick strode off, looking for Nick. Grissom idly wondered if there was something going on that he didn't know about. Shrugging it off, he returned to his office. Sara was still inside, but she was now up on her feet. 

"I'll tell you on the way in," Grissom said, answering the unspoken question of what the knock had been about. "For now, let's just go home."

"Okay." Sara gave Grissom that smile of hers – a smile he had not seen, in its full radiance, anytime recently. He smiled back as well, then led her out of the room. They were soon in his Denali, heading back toward the townhouse they both called home – for now.

***

The drive had been, in a rather weird way, both comfortable and uncomfortable. It was comfortable because the distance they had both put between themselves for the past few months had just... evaporated. It was almost a new beginning.

However, they still didn't know what the next step would be. Could they go back to the way things were when Sara had just arrived in Las Vegas? _Doubtful_, Grissom thought. Both knew they would have to take things to the next step if they wanted to go anywhere.

That was a step which scared them both. _You're still her supervisor,_ the nagging voice of his conscience reminded him.

As if there was a debate going on his head, another voice spoke up. _Gil, come on. Sara means the world to you, despite what you've tried to tell yourself for years. If there's one thing worth gambling for, it's her._

Eventually, they reached the entrance to the townhouse. Grissom unlocked his door then turned to hang his keys on a hook. When he turned back, Sara was right in front of him, not more than a foot away.

"I, uh, have something to confess." She was quite fidgety; it was obvious that whatever she wanted to say made her quite nervous.

"Okay..." His eyebrows knitted in frustration just a bit.

"I... heard everything you said, Gil."

Grissom had no idea what exactly Sara was referring to. She continued when she saw the look of confusion on his face.

"I heard it all, Gil. You... Brass... Lurie..."

"Oh."

"Gil..." She paused, weighing her words. "You still have a second chance. You haven't lost me, you never could... it's not too late."

"Sara, listen to me. Even if, even if..." He couldn't bring himself to say the words he wanted to say, that he cared for and loved her. "It's... not right. I'm older than you. I'm your boss. Do you really want me to list all the reasons why things could never be right between us?"

Sara inched ever closer to Grissom and brought her hands together around his waist. "Gil... do you think things are right between us, right now?" She ruefully shook her head. "We can't keep this, this... thing, this dance we do around each other – it can't last forever. We can own up to how we feel, or..." She refused to say it; she refused to even contemplate a future without him.

With misty eyes, she continued. "Do you... do you have any idea how long I've waited for you, Gil?" A tear threatened to fall down Sara's cheek.

Grissom moved a hand to wipe away the tear.

"Too long."

As if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, their lips moved ever closer, until they met. The kiss lasted ever so briefly, but it was more than enough. The emotional walls they had spent so much time and effort building came crashing down, washed away in the flood of emotions that had been exchanged in that kiss.

Their lips parted, but the parting was almost as brief as the kiss had been. Soon, their lips joined again, with both Grissom and Sara surrendering themselves to emotions of the moment – and of the past four years.

Grissom had one last coherent thought before his emotions took over. _This is the way things were meant to be._

_***_

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

All good things come to an end, and so here's the last chapter of my story. I hope you all like the ending.

As usual, thanks to all my beta readers for helping turn this into something readable. Any remaining mistakes are mine and mine alone.

Title: Ghosts in the Shadows (Chapter 6 of 6)

Author: Jonathan  
Disclaimer: I don't own CSI or the characters; CBS please don't sue me. And I don't own the song at the end either.  
Archiving: Just ask me before you put it up.  
Synopsis: The long arm of the law – and evidence – catches up to Sara's stalker. Afterwards, Grissom has a big, big surprise for Sara.

--------------------------------------------------

Grissom slowly awoke from his slumber. After blinking his eyes clear, he noticed Sara was on her stomach, resting on the right side of his chest. She was gazing at him, and she had on that radiant smile of hers. He returned it as well.

The smile never left Sara's face. Grissom asked, "What?"

"Nothing. I just like... watching you, that's all."

"I could deal with that."

Sara's voice turned serious. "Have you thought of... how everyone will have to deal with this?"

"What do you mean?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "You know... Catherine, Nick, Warrick, the rest of the lab, not to mention Ecklie, the director and the sheriff."

"One step at the time, Sara. Besides, last I checked, I'm the one who'll have to take the heat, remember?"

She pouted playfully. "You think that Nick and Catherine won't be a handful, Dr. Grissom? You," she wagged her finger, "are mistaken."

"I'm sure you can take care of that. Catherine won't be one to throw any stones when it comes to relationships at work, in any case." Sara gave him a look of confusion.

She realized what he meant after a moment. _Oh, right. Warrick and Catherine have been unusually... close lately. Yeah, she won't be able to say anything._

"So.... what now, Gil?"

He sat up on the bed. Sara did so as well, grabbing the sheets to cover her nakedness. "I'd cook, but suffice to say we spent more time in bed than I anticipated." Sara giggled at Grissom's innuendo.

"How does pizza sound?"

"I thought you were a vegetarian."

"There is such a thing as veggie pizza, you know." Sara leaned over Grissom to get her cellular phone, which was beside the alarm clock. After she was done placing the order, she noticed he had his eyes firmly planted on her backside.

"Gil Grissom, didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to stare?"

"I can't help it if I'm presented with such a thing of beauty." There was a playful smirk on his face.

She grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Grissom. "Come on, let's get out of here. I might be tempted to stay in bed all day."

The cheeky smirk hadn't left Grissom's face, and he pointed to the doorknob. Sara turned to look at it. Hanging on it was her bra; his boxers were on the floor covering the doorstop. The pair laughed.

***

Grissom had the empty pizza box in his hands and was about to toss it in the trash when he noticed something taped to the top of the box. He set the box next to the sink and looked at it more closely.

It was the tape receipt for the pizza, which had been conveniently placed atop the box. Grissom knotted his eyebrows together. _It's just a receipt. So why are you examining it like it's a crucial piece of evidence?_ Then he realized what was on the receipt – aside from the store's name and address, and the list of items purchased, it had his address.

Sara walked into the kitchen just then, and saw that all-too-familiar look on Grissom. He had found a major piece of evidence.

"Grissom... what?"

He had been so caught up that he hadn't noticed her entrance. Turning to face her, he asked, "Didn't we find dozens of receipts inside the truck?"

Sara wasn't sure where this was going. "Yeah..."

"Were there delivery receipts in there?"

"Yes, but not too many." She paused for a moment. "Why?"

"Delivery receipts sometimes have the address of the buyer on them..."

Grissom didn't need to finish his sentence; Sara did it for him. "And if our suspect had food delivered to his house..." Grissom nodded as she came to the same conclusion he had. "We need to get back to the lab," Sara continued.

They both moved towards the door, but before Grissom came to it he turned to face Sara. "Remember, all professional at work."

"Yeah," Sara surprised Grissom by kissing him. Pulling away, she had a radiant smile on her face. "All professional." She opened the door and headed for the Denali; he just shook his head, but he too was smiling. He closed and locked the door, then ran off to join Sara.

***

Catherine and Warrick joined Grissom, Sara, and Nick in a room at the CSI lab. In the middle of a table was a small box, which had the receipts they had recovered from the pickup truck. On the wall behind Sara there was a large map of Las Vegas. Behind Grissom were several other boxes, all containing more evidence from the truck.

"I thought we were done processing the truck," Catherine said.

"Fresh eyes, new evidence," Grissom replied. "We have all the evidence we need to prove who the stalker is. What we didn't realize is we also have the evidence to show _where_ he is."

He picked up a plastic bag that had a receipt in it. "The receipts tell us where he bought something. Chances are the stores he buys from are near either CSI, Sara's apartment, or a scene she worked on. If there's a receipt from a store not near any of those locations, it could give us a hint of where he lives."

Sara continued. "If we're lucky, there might also be delivery receipts that indicate where our suspect lives."

Catherine just nodded. Grissom began to parcel out everyone's tasks. "Catherine, Nick – the three of us will look for anything that may have an address on it. Warrick, Sara – you mark them on the map. All clear?"

Everyone nodded, and the three CSIs sitting on the table began sifting through the receipts. Warrick and Sara, meanwhile, marked the locations the three had found with pins. 

After about fifteen minutes, their search paid off. It was Nick who found what they needed.

"Bingo," he announced.

Catherine looked up from the receipt she had been examining. So did Grissom. Warrick and Sara turned from the map, which had quite a few pins on it now. "Pizza delivery receipt, has an address on it."

Warrick got the receipt from Nick and put his finger on the map. "That would be... here." His finger was right in the middle of several pins.

Catherine had found another delivery receipt as well. "Here's another one." She looked at where Warrick's finger was. "Same address."

Warrick spoke for the entire team. "Gotcha."

Grissom rose from his chair. "I'll look for Brass. We need a warrant." He left the room, leaving the other CSIs to get ready for what they knew was coming. They would pay a visit to Manuel de la Vega, and it was not going to be a friendly chat.

***

Brass was just wrapping up a phone call when Grissom arrived. He sat himself down and waited until Brass was done.

After hanging up, Brass noticed his presence. "I've got something from Narcotics, but you go first."

"We have a possible location of our suspect. Pizza and Chinese delivery receipts inside his pickup have a possible address. We tested them for prints previously, and the suspect's prints are confirmed."

"Where?" Brass asked. Grissom told him.

"Well, that confirms what Narcotics told me."

"Your turn. What did they find?" Grissom asked of Brass.

"One of their informants ran into your suspect. Said they completed a drug deal at his house a few days ago. Gave the address, which is the same as the one you found."

"Warrant's on the way?"

"Yeah." Brass put his arms on his desk. "We're going to make sure that when we go after him, we do it right."

***

An hour later, Grissom saw what Brass had meant by "doing it right." The two Denalis the team used had been part of a convoy that included at least four other marked cruisers. On the scene, at least six more patrol cars were present, along with two SWAT trucks.

The hunter had become the hunted – and he was trapped.

Grissom saw Brass rush over and confer with an officer clad in black body armor. Nick was kneeling behind the other Denali, his right hand on his hip, ready to draw his handgun. Warrick and Catherine had their field kits out beside them, but they too were crouched behind the SUV.

Grissom opened the door beside him and motioned to Sara to follow him out of the Denali. She nodded in compliance, and scooted over the central console to join him, taking cover behind the blue truck.

Brass ran over to join Grissom and Sara. "Uniforms have the place surrounded. The neighbors have been evacuated, and a chopper is overhead. He's not getting away."

Sara asked, "What are you waiting for?"

"SWAT's going to go into the house. They shouldn't take too long."

As if on cue, everyone saw the SWAT team prepare to enter the house. With assault rifles drawn, they approached the front door from the side, attaching explosives to blow it down for the coming assault. Four SWAT officers stood off to the side of the door, two on each side. Four more officers were at the windows, ready to jump into the house.

Everyone knew why SWAT had been called in. When the Dallas police tried to arrest him, they had been welcomed with a barrage of gunfire. In the ensuing chaos, de la Vega had escaped and two officers had been shot dead.

The Las Vegas police wanted to make sure nothing like that would happen again.

Another armor-clad officer beside Brass nodded, indicating the assault could proceed. The tension in the air was so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. By this time, everyone – even Grissom – had their guns out. 

One word escaped from Brass's lips: "Go."

For a moment, nothing happened. Then all hell broke loose.

A loud explosion turned the door into kindling and sent it flying into the living room. Stun grenades flew inside, the blasts sundering the windows and releasing an avalanche of light and sound designed to incapacitate anyone nearby. The officers then stormed the house, using the door and shattered windows as entryways.

Some shouts were herd over the radios, but there was no gunfire. After a minute, police radios crackled. It was the leader of the assault team. "Suspect in custody. Repeat: suspect in custody."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The subject was in custody and was no longer a threat. Manuel de la Vega, wanted for two rapes and two murders, was under arrest.

Sara, holding on to Grissom's hand, looked over to him. She had a smile on her face. _Thanks_, she said silently.

The suspect was soon brought out of the house. De la Vega seemed vulnerable. It was probably because he was wearing nothing more than a white T-shirt and boxers. One of the officers walked over to Brass narrated what had happened; it appeared that de la Vega had been quite a sound sleeper – the explosion that had torn his front door to bits was what had awakened him. The next thing he knew, two assault rifles were pointed right at him.

As he was being brought out of the house, his eyes and Sara's met. She could clearly see what his eyes told her. _Bitch. I'll get you._

She knew that it was all bluster. Manuel de la Vega would never again be a free man. He was destined to spend the rest of his natural life behind bars – and that was if the states of Nevada or Texas decided not to execute him. That was not a likely scenario. The look Sara gave him was one with not an iota of mercy or pity. _Go to hell, you bastard. Join the rest of your kind._

Still resisting, he was shoved into the back of a cruiser. It drove off, escorted by a SWAT truck and two more police cruisers. 

As soon as the assault team had left the house, Warrick and Catherine entered. They had all the evidence they needed for trial, but there was no such thing as too much evidence for any good CSI. They had a good idea what they'd find, though: more photos and videos.

Warrick flashed his flashlight inside the house. The living room was, quite clearly, a mess. He doubted there would still be anything useful, but he had to be sure. Catherine moved ahead of him and entered the suspect's bedroom. Her trained eyes scanned the walls, noting anything out of the ordinary. 

Catherine was about to begin her search when Warrick came in. She looked over her shoulder and saw him doing the same thing she had been earlier.

"Find anything unusual?" she asked.

"Desert Eagle in what was left of the living room. Empty magazine, though. Ballistics will have to match it to the rounds we found."

"Good chance they'll match, though."

"Yeah, just crossing the t's and dotting the i's now. This case is a slam dunk twice over, Cath."

"I know." She flicked her flashlight off and turned to face him. "Listen, you start the search, I'll check in with Grissom and Sara outside, okay?"

"Sure," he replied. Catherine slipped off her gloves as she walked to the front yard. There was something about the house that was bothering her. _Well, Catherine, it is the house of a major-league scumbag. Not exactly Beverly Hills, is it?_

She shook her head to clear the thought. She strode over to gaggle of police vehicles on the road. There, she found Grissom together with Sara, leaning against his Denali. Nick and Brass were nowhere to be found.

"Hey, where's Brass and Nicky?" Catherine asked.

Both of them turned at the voice, as if it had been intruding on them. _Did I interrupt something? Probably,_ Catherine thought.

It was Grissom who answered. "Brass took our suspect back to the station. Nick has a DB at the Bellagio."

"Did you... find anything?" Sara asked.

"Warrick found a gun identical to the one used in the shootout with Brass. We haven't really done a thorough search yet, we just completed our look-around." 

Grissom turned to Sara and whispered something to her. Catherine noted that she seemed dubious at first, but after some more whispering she had smiled and walked over to her side of the Denali. 

He approached Catherine. "Can I... ask for a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Can the three of you cover for us?"

She raised her hand in front of her. "I'm not even going to ask – Sara, right?"

The look Grissom have Catherine was all the answer she needed. "Relax, Griss. Besides, I still owe you for Lindsey." Catherine's daughter had an emergency appendectomy three weeks ago, and he had to cover for her.

"Thanks." He walked over to the Denali, got in, and headed down the road.

As the Denali's lights faded into the distance, Catherine Willows had a fairly good idea of what was happening. Much as he would deny it, she had spent enough time working with Gil Grissom to have a fairly good read on him.

The signs were there for Catherine to read. It was actually startlingly obvious to anyone who knew the two decently well. The dark cloud that had been Manuel de la Vega had brought with it an immense silver lining: it had brought Grissom and Sara together. 

Something Grissom had told Catherine a long time ago came to her mind. "The Chinese character for 'crisis' is made up of the characters for 'danger' and 'opportunity,'" Grissom had said. She knew that in this case, it was very true.

Entirely unbidden, a smile appeared on Catherine's face. _Good luck, Gil._ As she made her way back to the house, she shook her head in amusement; Nick and Warrick would never believe her if she told them what had just happened. 

***

The drive had taken slightly more than half an hour. Grissom had driven towards the western outskirts of Las Vegas, and Sara thought they were headed for Red Rock Canyon, the hiking preserve west of the city. 

Those thoughts had been disabused when the Denali turned off into an unpaved trail. She looked over to Grissom, wondering just what was the 'surprise' he had promised to show her. 

After more time on the rugged trail, Grissom announced, "Surprise." Sara became slack-jawed in amazement at the sight before her.

Right under the shade of a large tree – which appeared to be at least 50 feet tall – stood a small wooden cabin. It looked old, but not run-down – _rustic_ was the word that came to Sara's mind. . She was surprised that such a pleasant, quiet site could be so close to the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas.

Sara had been so engrossed that she had failed to notice Grissom coming beside her. "You like it?"

She turned to face him. "It's... beautiful, Gil. Yours?"

He nodded. "Back when I was just starting out, my supervisor taught me something besides just forensics. I still remember his words: 'This isn't an easy thing to do, Gil. It's easy to burn out. Make sure you to take a break every now and then, to remind yourself that there's something else beyond the bodies and victims you see every day.'"

Gesturing to the house, he continued. "I haven't been very good about following his advice... but that's what this place is for. When the job gets too much, I spend my day off here." He offered his hand to Sara. "May I?"

She smiled. "Of course." Hand in hand, they walked towards the cabin.

Sara thought the sights inside could never top the picture-perfect cabin under the tree she had seen. She soon found she was wrong. _If the outside was beautiful, this is... gorgeous_. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but she found it was warm, cozy, and comfortable – it was the perfect getaway. She still couldn't believe that this little piece of Paradise could be so close to Las Vegas.

As he had entered, Grissom had taken the opportunity to turn on the radio. Soft melodies echoed throughout the whole cabin as he pulled Sara into an embrace.

"Sara... I know we can't change things at work. We'll deal with it, I know we will. But, if we are going to start something new... we need a place where we can be together. A place where I'm not your boss, a place where we can just be... friends and lovers."

Sara looked into Grissom's eyes, and saw there was genuine love in his eyes. _Yes, he wants to make it work – and we have our own little hideaway. It's... amazing._ "Thank you, Gil." She leaned into him, kissing him softly.

As her lips left his, she saw there was a large smile on his face. Leaving the warm comfort on the embrace, she once again took her hands in his. "I'm not done yet. I've still got something to show you."

Grissom led Sara out to the back of the cabin, and the sight before the couple was astounding.

In front of them lay the vibrant lights of the city of Las Vegas. All the landmarks that defined the city were clearly visible from where they stood, lit up brightly as if they were all putting on a show for an audience of two.

Sara had once asked Grissom why, of all the cities in the United States, he had built his career in Las Vegas. He had never answered clearly, saying that one had to see things to understand. _He was right. This... is just amazing._

Sara's hand reached around Grissom's waist, and his hand snaked around her hips. Content both in the sight before them and in their newfound love, no words were exchanged between Grissom and Sara. Leaning her head against his shoulder, Sara, for the first time in years, felt truly happy. Looking into his eyes, she saw the same feelings in them as well.

As the couple stood outside, the radio inside kept playing, the song seemingly playing its own tribute to a relationship which had been repressed for years, but one which a crisis had caused to flower in full bloom.

_Cause I've got faith of the heart  
I'm going where my heart will take me  
I've got faith to believe  
I can do anything  
I've got strength of the soul  
And no one´s gonna bend or break me  
I can reach any star  
I've got faith, I've got faith, faith of the heart_

Grissom saw it first and pointed to it. Sara saw what he was pointing to – a shooting star, streaking across the nighttime sky.

"You know what they say when there's a shooting star – make a wish and it'll come true."

He pulled her to him, ending up in another tight hug. "I don't have to – all my wishes have come true."

"As have mine." She paused.

"I love you, Gil Grissom."

"And I love you too, Sara Sidle."

***

THE END


End file.
